


Reconstruction

by ErinPenwrite



Series: Three Stages of Alchemy [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Epilogue What Epilogue?, F/M, M/M, Multi, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, post-manga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 09:19:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5451515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinPenwrite/pseuds/ErinPenwrite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are three stages in transmutation. You can't complete a transmutation without going through all the stages. If you only do the first two, it's not complete. You've destroyed what once was. And comprehension is just knowing what is without changing anything. Things stay the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reconstruction

Ed had done every bit of research he could find even before the battle with Father about bodies in atrophy. He had seen to his brother's recovery, looking from records of coma patients who woke up - though that had more to do with why they woke back up in the first place than their post coma atrophy recovery, dammit, but it was still fascinating - to, fueling several nightmares, memoirs of POWs dating from the beginning of Amestris - which, in hindsight, gave many clues that he didn't piece together until later. Finally, he resorted going to an actual doctor to get recommendations, carefully avoiding the reasons why he needed the information in the first place.

It had taken quite some time for Alphonse to recover from his time split apart from himself. The skin and bones fleshed out into a tone body, just as nimble and reflexive as it had been when he was a boy. Ed made certain that his brother kept up the physical training of their youth, and, once he was sure Al could survive the encounter, they sparred.

"That's ten wins in a row, a new personal best for me!" Ed laughed good naturedly.

He watched as Al picked himself off the ground, dusted himself off, and got back into a stance. "Again, brother." Al's face was set with focus.

Ed swallowed. He'd not seen the fire that dwelt within himself in another pair of eyes in a very long time. It was jarring, all that energy being directed at him. He could feel his own confidence and resolve waver before such determination. There was no doubt in his little brother's eyes. He would win this next round.

They came at each other as though something else, something greater, was on the line. Ed had to bring his left leg into play just to ward off the flurry of quick, sharp, precise blows that his brother dealt out.

It was a graze to the side of his head that did him in. He had the full force of Al's intense glare distracting him, and the blow, barely dodged, threw him off balance. He felt himself being spun around as he fell, his arms yanked behind him, and he was pinned face first in the dirt.

The world was sideways and sounded strange with his ear pressed against the ground, the other listening to the steady stream of exerted panting falling from above. It made him a little more dizzy than he liked. That, and he was uncomfortably warm. The sun soaked earth beneath him and his sweaty little brother pinning him with his entire body combined into someplace cozy if he were back at Briggs, but not in the middle of a humid, sticky Resembool summer.

Suddenly, Al jumped off. He looked beyond displeased, though at what Ed could only guess.

"What, Al?"

"Sorry," Al shook his head, "I'll be back. Gotta pee." He left grumbling about inconvenient biology. Ed laughed.

* * *

Winry made pie a lot, Ed was discovering. She made her specialty, apple pie, of course, but then she started branching out. She made chicken pie, fish pie, persimmon pie. Any kind of food item that came into the house was eventually made into a pie. All of them had been delicious.

Ed watched as Al reveled in the flavors he'd been missing. That was one of the neatest things, finding out just what sort of new sensations his brother was rediscovering that he had forgotten about and taken for granted.

Winry seemed to pick up on this as well, always asking if Al could taste the different things that went into what she cooked. The scary thing was, he typically could.

"So...?" Winry raised a brow halfway through dinner.

Ed had a piece of pie halfway into his mouth. "Uh-huh, ihh huuuh," he complimented through his food.

Granny hummed her approval from the head of the table.

Al took it upon himself to once again enter into the realm of kitchen alchemy to discover exactly what components went into the meal while Winry gave him her full attention. Ed sat back, laughing to himself. The gear head was finally being intrigued by alchemy and she didn't even know it.

"The garlic really becomes a flavor binding agent, aiding in bringing out all of the other flavors, like when you added salt to that bowl of melon balls a few weeks ago." Al went deeper into the theory of garlic being one of the best things to happen to cooking like discovering the composition of air had been for alchemy.

That's when Ed noticed it, something that had been slipping by him in his utter focus on making his brother healthy again. Al was constantly touching someone or something. His hand was currently resting on top of Winry's. A quick thought back to earlier that afternoon revealed just how long Al had him pinned to the ground.

Ed flushed as a realization dawned on him that he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of before. "Excuse me!" He stood and bolted before anyone else was the wiser to the state of his cheeks. He ran outside and over hills until he was certain he was alone with his thoughts.

'Al hasn't ever touched himself! He's been experimenting by touching Winry and me, but he probably hasn't learned anything conclusive to his own anatomy other than from text books. And they don't tell how to do....' he let his thoughts trail off, smashing his forehead into his palm.

He couldn't get the image of the world being sideways out of his mind. The feeling of being under Al, the heat that exuded from him, that pressure that had been pressing against his backside- 'Wait, what?' He thought again, his eyes snapped open. 'Right before Al ran off... he'd... he was....'

Ed felt like his brain was melting. Then he looked to where all the blood from his brain had pooled. 'What kind of sick fuck am I?' He smacked his forehead again. 'But, then, that's gotta be mutual. Why would he have that reaction if not because....' He paused to think. 'Maybe it was just from the thrill of beating me? I've been turned on for less. Or, he really did have to pee that bad-' "-Oh, fuck me, who am I kidding?" he groaned into his hands. The more he thought, the more he realized plenty of other occasions Al had stayed in physical contact longer than strictly necessary. They weren't as blatant as earlier that day, but they must have been motivated by the same cause.

"Brother?"

"Damn," Ed muttered low. This was the only time he could think of in his life that he was not happy to see his little brother. He willed his arousal to go away, managing a descent to half mast.

"Brother?" Al called again.

"Over here!" Ed yelled back before his brain gave his mouth permission. His forehead took more abuse.

Al appeared atop the hill a moment later, jogging down to him without breaking a sweat. "You literally ran for the hills. Something up?"

Ed laughed, though it came off sounding too close to hysterical for his liking. Something was up indeed, and it had no right or business to be. He gripped Al's shoulders, holding his brother at arms length. He stared into those eyes that were so like his own, the face that carried a trace more of their mother than he had received, the person his own soul had been bound to.

"Brother, as much as I would like for telepathy to conveniently awaken between us, real conversations can't be had through staring."

"I beg to differ," Ed said, feeling his sanity take a nosedive. "We've known what the other was planning to do during battle more times than I can count."

"That comes down to instincts, only having one option that will benefit our needs."

"Exactly," he said breathlessly. There had to be a reason for Al's actions, he just had to know if Al knew them.

Al considered him a moment. He tried to shift back, but Ed's grip was firm.

"This is another of those moments, but you are more wise than me. You think ahead. I am irrational right now. Help." Ed's eyes became a conduit for his plea.

"Brother," his little brother began quietly, "I think I know what this is about."

He didn't let go, holding on to Al like a lifeline.

"If I'm wrong, stop me."

Al reached up one of his perfect hands. No calluses, smooth as the day his body was taken, and finally with some amount of meat to make it feel more like a hand than a bundle of sticks. Or cold, hollow armor. He rested his palm on Ed's flushed cheek and took a deep breath.

They were in each other's arms. Ed felt fingers weaving into the loose start of his braid. As close as they were, he could smell Al, clean and familiar. It sent a rush through him. There was an insistent pressure in his belly, his arousal coming back strong. He rubbed his hands over Al's back, verifying again that his little brother really was there.

Al pressed lips to his neck. Ed froze for a split second. All of the cons flashed into his thoughts. This was taboo, one that wouldn't be justified by any amount of explaining to anyone.

Al rest his forehead on Ed's right shoulder. "Everyone knows how close we are. Some assume us of this already," he offered.

Ed chuckled deep in his chest and relaxed. "You can completely read my mind, Al."

"Sometimes." He could hear the smile.

He pulled back enough to lift Al's chin. No more words needed to be spoken. Their lips met, a general lack of experience making them hesitate until the sensation of pleasure brought them together like magnets. Every action Ed made was answered, complimented, by his brother. His head tilted to gain a better angle and his brother's did the same in turn. He felt the hand in his hair tug him closer, another sliding down to the small of his back. Their groins rubbed together, the friction relieving some of the want while urging it forward.

Ed ran the tip of his tongue at the seam of Al's lips. Al took the initiative, sliding into his mouth to map it. He brought his right hand down to Al's hip, grinding them together, feeling an arousal to match his own. He rolled against him, enjoying the sharp tightening of the hand in his hair. Lowering his other hand, he squeezed at Al's rear, using it as more leverage to rut against him.

Al came back up for air, putting a small space between them, gasping for breath. He rested his hands on Ed's chest, not to push away but to pause.

"Al?"

Al gulped down more air, "Too much.... getting light headed...."

Ed laughed, not loosening his grip at all. He ground their erections against each others.

His little brother moaned, head tilting back, neck stretching, fingers digging into shirt and skin to hold on for dear life.

He brought his lips down on Al's exposed neck, tasting the flesh he'd fought so hard to get back. Sweat and... "Fuck me, you taste like milk."

Al tensed ridged as a board. "What?"

"Now I see why you can drink it though."

"So, as soon as you're a grown man," Al giggled, "and you don't need it...."

"I'm not drinking it, but, dammit, you taste good." Ed let his tongue sample the skin before him, traveling down until clothing barred his path before going back up. The ear came under his exploration and Al's breath hitched. He licked along the rim and felt his brother buck into him. And the groan it earned him.... He did it again.

Al's arms wrapped around him suddenly and they toppled to the grass. "Whoa!" Ed caught himself in time to not crush Al, his little brother's arms clutching him. "Al?"

Al was panting hard, face flushed, eyes closed, brow wrinkled in concentration. When he'd found his breath he said, "Light headed, brother. Too much too soon."

Ed laughed gently, resting their foreheads together. "We have all the time in the world."

Al nudged him, "Eh, not quite. Winry and Granny are out here looking for you, too."

He sunk on top of his brother.

"Hey, Ed, get o-"

"Winry..."

"Hmm?"

"What the hell is she going to... damn..." Ed fell deep into thought.

Al pushed up at him in vain. "Ed, you aren't exactly light."

Ed didn't hear him. His thoughts were on the childhood friend who he was just as attached to as his brother. She smiled so genuinely. She was fiery and determined and loyal and the woman of his dreams. What the hell am I doing?

"Crushing me!"

"Huh?" Ed springed up fast enough to hurt his back. Al was disgruntled, his hair matted and covered in grass.

"But what you are doing, Ed, is being silly."

Ed blushed. "Just how much of my thoughts ran out of my-"

"Most of it, dummy."

That stabbed as sharply as anything.

"You think I don't know how you and Winry feel for each other? I'm not going to bar you from her, idiot."

"Al... wait, I'm confused."

Al sat up, pushing Ed back onto his legs. "Ed, you really have not noticed anything up to now, have you?"

"What?"

"Ed, Winry cares for both of us."

The pieces fit into place with such blinding clarity that Ed had to blink. "Then, she.... and you and she....  and we...."

Al grinned. "I noticed it while stuck without a body, and you two were too thick to see it."

"Al," Ed grinned back, "I could kiss you."

"Then do it."

He nearly tackled Al onto the side of the hill. Their mouths met again, any finesse wiped away through shear enthusiasm. He felt Al's hand reach under his tousled shirt, felt gravity doing the work for him, pushing him down to enjoy the friction. He cradled Al's head in his hands, urging forward into the kiss, his tongue dipping into his brother's mouth

"Ed!" called the sweetest voice he could have heard at the moment.

He lifted himself, releasing his hold on Al to grin down at him. He pressed another chaste kiss to his brother's lips and helped him to his feet. "She found us."

"How are you going to handle this, exactly? She's as clueless as you were," Al panted.

Ed thought a moment.

"What even made you realize?" Al asked.

He opened his mouth to answer, but Winry crested the hill that hid them.

"There you are!" she called. She spun back and shouted, "Found them, Granny! You can head on back!"

Ed took in every detail. Winry's skin was pearly in the blue glow of early evening. The wind rustled her clothes and hair, causing it to float about her like she were under water. Her slow turn back to face him only reinforced in his mind that she was... She was.

She smiled to them, taking her time padding down the hill. "What's happened, then? Did you figure out that circle you'd been theorizing? The one for... oh, what was it..." she paused in front of them, lost in her mind, oblivious to the two men admiring her for showing real interest in their work. "Ah, that's right, you mentioned it at lunch a couple weeks ago. You were going to use a circle as a base... that you'd picked up from Mei... to do long range status checks on rail lines, right?" She opened her eyes and tilted her head. "I must have been really off the mark for both of you to...." She crossed her arms in front of her. "Okay, what's going on?"

Ed looked to Al, a similar feeling settling in him as had been mere moments before Al confirmed he wasn't insane. That there was something there.

He looked back to Winry and gulped. "Alchemy works in three's."

"Huh?" Winry countered. "But what about three is balanced?"

Ed felt his heart tighten. He had her talking about alchemy. Casually talking about alchemy. He grinned.

"Uh, Al, is he oka.... Seriously, what's going on?"

Ed held out his hand to her; she took it automatically, as though she had intended to do that action before he'd offered. "Winry," he said, "there are three stages in transmutation."

Al laughed heartily. "Really, brother?"

"What?" Winry whined.

"As I was saying," Ed grumbled, finding he was warm in the face again, "you can't complete a transmutation without going through all the stages. If you only do the first two, it's not complete. You've destroyed what once was." He couldn't look at either of them. "And comprehension is just knowing what is without changing anything."

He swallowed down his nerves. He knew Al understood him. He didn't need to go fully into detail in regards to alchemy with him, because they both had a mind for it. Al got it. He glanced back up to Winry.

She was there. He could see it in her face. She knew, but didn't have the words.

"Winry, we all should have seen this coming. Al knew it first, and for a long time. I only just learned. And, now you..."

"You always reminded us of what we were doing," Al said, taking up Winry's and Ed's spare hands. "You showed us where we wanted to end up."

Winry was smiling even as her eyes watered. Had Ed not been held down by tight grips, he'd have commenced his typical panicked, tactless flail. He had no choice but to listen, watch as she bent her head. "...I thought you two were going to make me choose." Her hands clenched down hard. "I didn't know what I was going to do."

Al tugged on both of them, releasing his hands once the momentum was set in order to hold them as they leaned toward him. Ed pulled on both of them, reveling in the sense of peace he felt with the two of them so near.

He felt a cool palm touch his cheek and saw Winry splitting her attention between him and his brother.

"Are you two sure?"

Ed snorted and Al chuckled low in his chest. "Of course we are," Al confirmed.

Ed nodded when the young woman looked to him for an answer. She nodded back, stolen away by her thoughts again. She then stared hard at both of them.

"Uhh..." The look caught them off guard.

"..." Winry chewed over whatever it was she was planning to say. "I... I... Ugh, I'll just say it, howisthisgonnawork?"

Ed watched Al for guidance. He got a shrug. He gave a shrug. Winry laughed that sweet laugh that sounded like pure happiness.

And Ed couldn't hold back anymore. He placed his hand at the base of her skull, pulled her forward, and kissed her like his life depended on it. He felt Al shift, still touching him, to kiss on Winry's cheek, peppering to her neck and exposed shoulders. A sweet spot must have been found because she gasped inwardly, giving Ed the opportunity to explore more of her.

Ed felt hands dragging all over. One in his hair, one on his side, one on his right arm. They slid about, distracting him from the task of making a microscopicly detailed map of Winry's mouth for future use... as well as the chemical formula for saliva, but alchemy never completely left his thoughts. He was about to figure out why it tasted as sweet as it did when she pulled away gasping.

Al brushed his hand over her chest. Oh. That was a territory Ed had only dreamed about.

Ed was tugged toward them with a hand on his hip, forcing his hips into Winry's, creating friction that wiped away clear thought. He dove for her neck, and he felt her turn to kiss Al. His hands traveled from her waist, grazing over one of Al's before fondling her generous breast.

Winry moaned, going ridged between them, then relaxed into their embrace. Ed knew Al released her from their kiss because he was pulled off Winry's clavicle to Al's lips on his.

Al was always a quick study, and Ed appreciated it. The kiss was nothing but good compounded with a tongue that was quickly picking up sensitive places to brush against. He tilted his head to gain better access, letting his younger brother take control from there.

He heard Winry panting, and his eyes fluttered open. He pulled back and saw her, cheeks red, eyes hooded, and looking at him and his brother in a way that he couldn't describe. She nodded for them to continue, which they did with no preamble.

Ed felt her nose nuzzle against his, nearly causing him to laugh until he felt her join the kiss. Al eased off to allow room for her, and Ed closed his eyes again to flow with them, these two people that meant everything to him. He could feel them against the sides of his mouth, pushing and pulling, pressing and releasing, kissing and licking. He wasn't himself, he was whole with them, and pulled them closer to himself in an effort to fuse them all together. Winry rolled her hips into his, then to Al's in a purposeful grind, bouncing back and forth. It was maddening.

Al gripped Ed's hips, yanking them all tightly against him, releasing his part of the kiss to moan into Winry's hair. Ed rode the undulations, the friction building. The hands on his hips, the one in his hair, one riding up his back, Winry trailing open kisses down his chin to his throat. He pulsed with their movements, trapped by his own desire, and saw white.

They came apart all at once, and Winry reached a hand to his cheek to kiss him soundly. Then she turned to Al and did the same. Watching her be so natural about it made it all real. Al looked to him, a small smile that radiated more contentment than he'd ever seen before.

Winry put out her hands for the brothers to take and led them to the house. They were finally home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I wrote a thing. Thank you for reading it. And I am a glutton for punishment. Destroy me in those comments. Also, to add fuel on my pyre, this is totally unbeta'd.


End file.
